VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds closed out the weekend with the second of two big wins at the War Memorial Gym, as they defeated the University of Alberta Golden Bears 75-68.

Nathan Yu had a big night, coming off the bench to score 23 points. Yu was key down the stretch, hitting big shots including a three-pointer with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Yu's performance was especially timely, stepping in to support the illness-stricken Josh Whyte.

"Nate just hit those shots when we needed them," explained head coach Kevin Hanson. "Josh was sick this week. He missed the first two days of practice and we needed him to play big minutes last night, so his energy level was a little depleted. [Yu's performance] is a sign of our depth - someone is eventually going to get hot and come around and do things for us. Tonight it was Nate."

Hanson expressed confidence in his bench, but the team stumbled early in the second quarter, after a tight first quarter left the teams knotted at 13.

The Bears came out on an 8-0 run to start the second, forcing Hanson into a timeout to rally his troops.

The call seemed to grab the momentum from the Bears igniting a 16-2 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.

"In the first quarter, we came out with very little energy defensively," said Hanson. "But during that [16-2] run we got a lot of defensive stops and scored some points in transition."

Although they could never regain the lead, U of A stuck around and kept the game close all night.

In the third quarter, Bears' forward Jamaal Bucknor hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to tie the contest. But UBC's Josh Whyte responded with a three-pointer of his own, and the 'Birds went on another run, finishing the quarter with a seven-point lead.

In the fourth, Alberta fought back again, drawing even with eight minutes remaining, but again could not find the go-ahead basket. This allowed Yu and Whyte drained shots in the final minute, putting the game out of reach for the Golden Bears.

The win gives the Thunderbirds a perfect 3-0 record to start the year, tying them with Simon Fraser University for first place in Canada West's Pacific Division.

UBC will try to build on its momentum next week, when the team hits the road to take on Thompson Rivers.